JSC 2018 Science Lecture 7 1 Nanotechnology and the Environment - - PDF document

JSC 2018 Science Lecture 7 1

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Nanotechnology and the Environment Acknowledgement: Much of the material in this lecture is from the following two sources:

• 1. Prof. James Kubicki, Environmental Impacts of Nanoparticles:

The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful (online lecture), http://nano4me.live.subhub.com/categories/ESC215_Fall2015

• 2. Earl Boysen, Environmental Nanotechnology (webpage),

http://www.understandingnano.com/environmental- nanotechnology.html 2

JSC 2018 Science Lecture 7 2 Nanotechnology and the Environment

• As with many other areas, nanotechnology can potentially

improve our environmental impact.

• However, nanotechnology also has several negative

environmental consequences (potential and real), which must be addressed

• See optional reading, unit 7
• For example, nanoparticles can “escape” and pollute the

environment 3

• Titanium dioxide is added to a huge swath of products in nano

form including paints, paper and plastics but also lends white pigment to most toothpastes and many processed foods, 4

JSC 2018 Science Lecture 7 3

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Some Ways Nanotechnology Can Help The Environment:

• 4. Creating and improving alternative energy sources (e.g. solar

cells)

• 5. Making conventional energy generation cleaner and more

efficient

• 1. Cleaning up the environment (remediation)
• 2. Preventing pollution
• 3. Providing clean drinking water and water recycling
• (many of these applications have been covered in previous

units) 6

JSC 2018 Science Lecture 7 4

• 1. Cleaning Up The Environment:
• Cleaning water
• Ground water, rivers, lakes, oceans
• Wastewater treatment
• Cleaning air
• Detection and analysis of pollutants
• Cleaning soil
• Removing greenhouse gases
• Removing pollutants
• Removing plastics and oil spills from the ocean

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• 2. Preventing Pollution:
• Similar applications to previous section, except pollutants are

removed before being released in the environment

• E.g. Polypropylene oxide:
• Produced in industry in large amounts
• Used to make plastics, paint, detergents brake fluids
• Many toxic and harmful by-products of production
• 2010, researchers at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois used

silver nanoparticles as a catalyst to make this compound with a huge reduction in by-products 8

JSC 2018 Science Lecture 7 5

• 3. Providing Clean Drinking Water And Water Recycling:
• Very similar to items 1 and 2.

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Cleaning Water:

• Enhances iron-reducing bacteria that

also reduce and immobilize uranium

• Removes chromium and uranium.
• Nanoparticles of iron oxides and iron metal break down

contaminants

• Removes arsenic (As) in several

ways

• Removes chlorine from toxic solvents

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JSC 2018 Science Lecture 7 6

• 4. Creating and Improving Alternative Energy Sources:
• Wind turbines
• Fuel cells (mostly for electric cars)
• Solar cells
• Other sources
• 5. Making conventional energy generation cleaner and

more efficient

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Solar cells:

• More sensitive to infra-red than other

solar cells

• Also useful for better gas sensors, infrared lasers, infrared

LED’s and more.

• E.g. light-sensitive nanoparticles (colloidal quantum dots)
• Colloidal lead sulfide/selenide

quantum dot

• Could lead to cheaper and more

flexible solar cells 12

JSC 2018 Science Lecture 7 7 Some Ways Nanotechnology Can Help The Environment:

• 4. Creating and improving alternative energy sources (e.g. solar

cells)

• 5. Making conventional energy generation cleaner and more

efficient

• 1. Cleaning up the environment (remediation)
• 2. Preventing pollution
• 3. Providing clean drinking water and water recycling

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